Sajid Javid, the UK’s first elected Muslim Cabinet minister,
argued it was impossible to ignore the fact the terrorists
identified themselves as Muslims.

Javid called upon Britain’s Islamic community to do more to
counter extremism, arguing British Muslims bear a “special
burden” because so many terror attacks are conducted by
militant radicals who cite inspiration from Islam.

The Culture Secretary implored Muslim Britons to contact their
local police station if they believe a friend or acquaintance has
become radicalized or could be vulnerable to the teachings of
extremist preachers.

“The people carrying out these acts – what we have seen just
horrifically this week in Paris, what has happened in London, in
Madrid, in Peshawar – these people, they call themselves
Muslims,” he told the BBC on Sunday.

“The lazy answer I think from people out there would be to
say, ‘Look, this has got nothing whatsoever to do with Islam or
Muslims’, and that should be the end of that part of the
debate.”

Javid argued such a perspective is misguided because these
terrorists are carrying out atrocities in the name of Islam.

The Conservative MP rejected the argument that governments should
strive to prohibit offensive journalistic content.

The Culture Secretary, who previously worked in finance, said
Britain has an adequate balance of legislation, which protects
people’s rights while upholding freedom of expression.

He stressed it is vital that governments refrain from vetting or
controlling media organizations' content.

While people may object to a paper or magazine’s output, that
doesn’t mean such content shouldn’t be published, he argued.

Javid praised Britain’s freedom of speech record.

“There is no role for government to tell any media
organization what they should or should not publish. It is what
makes us such a special society,” he said.

The Conservative MP refused to specify his opinion on whether
Britain’s threat level might be raised, stressing such a decision
was for the state’s security officials.

Ex-Royal Navy chief, Lord West, has called for calm in the wake
of the Charlie Hebdo massacre and other terror attacks in France.
But he acknowledged tighter gun controls and an increased
security services budget could be helpful.

On Monday, PM David Cameron joined security chiefs to review the
risk a Paris-style terror attack poses to Britain. Cameron vowed
to issue the state’s security services with greater powers to
screen online and telephone chats between terrorism suspects.

Heightened security measures to prevent the transit of weapons
across UK borders will also be introduced.

The government has declined to introduce security outposts at UK
underground and rail stations in the aftermath of the French
terror attacks, according to Transport Secretary Patrick
McLoughlin. Nevertheless, an increased police presence is
expected at certain stations.

He also argued Muslims “did not believe in the concept of
freedom of expression,” and that Sharia Law was more
important than the legal systems of liberal democracies. The
comments surfaced in a letter, published by US news outlet USA
Today.

Radical Islamic preacher Mizanaur Rahman, who was arrested in
2014 on suspicion of terrorism offences, also defended the brutal
attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo.

Rahman is a close friend of Choudhry, and was convicted of
conspiring to murder in 2007. He was handed a six year prison
sentence, but released in 2010.

The preacher defended the massacre of Charlie Hebdo staff, saying
the magazine’s cartoonists insulted Islam and those who engage in
such actions “can’t expect a different result.”

“Clearly what happened in France is a war. These cartoons is
part of their own war, is part of the psychological
warfare,” he said in a talk streamed live online on Friday.

Counter-extremism group Stand For Peace told The Independent
Rahman’s rhetoric could provoke future killings and UK
authorities “should not treat him as just another Islamist
preacher.”